The Darkness: Butcher
The Darkness: Butcher is a one-shot comic issue focussing on Butcher Joyce. The one-shot is titled "Where The Bodies Are Buried". Synopsis His name is Butcher Joyce...he knows things. Hot damn! Butcher Joyce cleans up messes, especially those created by members of the Franchetti crime family. Loyal to a fault, he’s always been the kind of guy Jackie Estacado can count on. Over the years, he’s come to know more than a few secrets. But what happens when those secrets put his life in danger? The spotlight shines on Butcher in this one-shot courtesy of up-and-coming writer Rob Levin (WITCHBLADE: BEARERS OF THE BLADE, WIGHT & ASSOCIATES) and artist Michael Broussard (THE DARKNESS, UNHOLY UNION). Characters * Butcher Joyce * Lou * Mr. Nolan * Jackie's Impostor * Jackie Estacado Plot Summary As Butcher cleans up another murder scene, he recalls his past work with Frankie Franchetti and Jackie Estacado. He stuffs up his van with dead bodies, failing to notice a man sneaking up on him. When the man gets close enough, he knocks out Butcher. Some time later, Butcher wakes up in a basement, tied to a chair. A man in a suit approaches him, introducing himself as Mr. Nolan. He then asks where is David Lizewski's rifle. Butcher recalls that Lizewski was an assassin hired by Paulie Franchetti to kill Jenny Romano's sister Megan in order to blackmail Jackie. Lizewski was eventually tracked down by Jackie who proceeded to kill him. Mr. Nolan then tells Butcher to cooperate and injects him with derivative of atropine. Nolan tells Butcher that he and his employer want to know where is David Lizewski's rifle. Butcher answers that he's job isn't logging evidence, but making them disappear. He then sees Jackie in front of himself, asking the same question again. Butcher again tells him, that the rifle is long gone. Not believing him, Jackie turns of the lights and releases the Darkness on him. Moments later, Butcher snaps out from the hallucination and reveals to Nolan and his colleague, who looks just like Jackie, that the rifle is in a pawn shop called Time Out and he will personally take them to it. Having gained the information he wanted, Nolan orders his colleague to get the car. Inside the car, seeing that both of his captors are not paying attention to him, Butcher grabs the driver by the throat. He's quickly stopped by Mr. Nolan who pulls out a gun on him and then gives Butcher the keys to his handcuffs. Mr. Nolan then adds that next time he should just ask. Although having failed to run away from his captors, Butcher realizes two things. First that the driver is not Jackie, but an impostor that looks just like him. And second, that he knows nothing about this Mr. Nolan. At the Time Out pawn shop, Butcher is greeted by its owner, Lou. Butcher tells him, that he need to talk about a rifle, probably in the reserve selection. Lou suggests, that they should talk in the back, but the Impostor Jackie protests this. Butcher tells him, that there are rules to this. He will go in the back, grab the gun and then they will leave. The Impostor Jackie decides to comply, but as Lou opens up the door to the back, the impostor shoots him dead. Furious, Butcher tackles the Impostor Jackie to the ground and grabs the first thing that comes into his hand, which turns out be a scoop. He then proceeds to beat him to death with it. Having dealt with the impostor, Butcher grabs Lizewski's rifle and brings it to Mr. Nolan, whose waiting outside inside the car. Butcher asks to take him to his van as Mr. Nolan opens up the stock of the rifle, failing to find a key. Seeing this, Butcher explains, that the key wouldn't do him any good at this point as authorities opened up the safe deposit box, which contained some kind of document. Mr. Nolan then tells Butcher, that the document contained names of everyone Lizewski ever worked for in any capacity. He points out that Butcher could easily moved up the ranks of Franchetti Crime Family, but decided to stay a garbage man, so he could feel like he can walk away clean from this. Nolan instead never chose one side and that's why he wanted the list. Later that day, Butcher comes home and washes his face. He then sits down to eat as he gets a call from Jackie, asking him to come to Max Zito's place. Butcher quickly gets up and leaves, leaving behind Lizewski's ledger on his table. Gallery 338743-21038-125919-3-the-darkness-butche.jpg|Special Cover Category:Comic Volumes Category:One-Shot